title: Extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer: evolution of systemic therapy and future directions.
abstract: Extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC) is one of the most lethal malignancies, with a median overall survival of only 8-10 months with first-line chemotherapy despite response rates of 60%-80%. In the second-line setting, the prognosis is even more limited, with only 20%-30% of patients having a response and a median survival measured in weeks to months. This article will review systemic chemotherapy in first- and second-line treatment of patients with ES-SCLC and discuss novel therapeutic agents, cytotoxic and "targeted," with an emphasis on recently completed clinical trials and ongoing investigations.
authors.affiliation: University of Tennessee Cancer Institute, Memphis, TN 38104, USA. jallen@utcancer.com
authors.forename: Jeffrey
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Allen
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jahanzeb
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D055752:Small Cell Lung Carcinoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors